Plasma display device having efficient heat conductivity

ABSTRACT

The plasma display device including a plasma display panel, a chassis base disposed substantially parallel to the plasma display panel, and a thermally conductive medium which is disposed between the plasma display panel and the chassis base, and closely adhered to both the plasma display panel and the chassis base. The thermally conductive medium is formed out of gel-like adhesive materials.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of KoreanApplication No. 2001-75980, filed on Dec. 3, 2001 in the Korean PatentOffice, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a plasma display device and,more particularly, to a plasma display device that has a heat conductiveunit for dissipating to outside the plasma display device the heatgenerated at a plasma display panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] As is well known, a plasma display device realizes an image on aplasma display panel (PDP) by employing plasma generated from gasdischarge. Hence, the PDP produces a considerable amount of heat becauseof the high-temperatures involved when performing gas discharge.

[0004] As a discharge rate of a plasma display device is increased toimprove brightness, the heat generated at the PDP also increases. It is,therefore, essential to effectively dissipate the heat to outside theplasma display device to maintain good operation.

[0005] For that reason, a PDP in a conventional plasma display device isusually attached to a chassis base formed out of materials having a highdegree of thermal conductivity, and a heat spreading sheet (or athermally conductive sheet) is interposed between the PDP and thechassis base. As a result, the heat generated at the PDP can bedissipated to outside the plasma display device via the heat spreadingsheet and the chassis base. The chassis base is typically formed by adie casting or press working process using a metallic material such asaluminum. The heat spreading sheet is typically formed of acryl or asilicone-based resin.

[0006] To improve the efficiency of the heat dissipation of the plasmadisplay device as described above, it is important to effectively mountthe heat spreading sheet. That is, the heat spreading sheet should bebrought into substantially close contact with both the PDP and thechassis base in order to improve the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0007] Since the chassis base is produced by die casting, the surfacethereof contacting the heat spreading sheet may not be formedsufficiently flat, and instead may be formed with a partially curved orraised portion. When the heat spreading sheet is attached to such anuneven surface of the chassis base, spaces are formed between thecontact surfaces of the heat spreading sheet and that of the chassisbase. Air fills these spaces to form an air gap.

[0008] If the plasma display device is manufactured with an air gapbetween the chassis base and the heat spreading sheet, an overall heatdissipation efficiency will be reduced because good heat conduction doesnot occur through the air gap. Such a problem may also occur at portionswhere the PDP and the heat spreading sheet contact.

[0009] To resolve the above problems, Japanese Patent PublicationLaid-Open No. 10-172446 discloses a plasma display device, in which theheat dissipation efficiency is improved by attaching a panel to athermally conductive medium. The thermally conductive medium is formedby the process of providing a cushioning medium in a rectangularlyannular shape at a chassis member, and injecting a liquid of a thermallyconductive medium into a region surrounded by the cushioning medium,after which the liquid is cured.

[0010] In the process of manufacturing the plasma display device asdescribed above, the thermally conductive medium lacks fluidity whilebeing attached to the panel because the liquefied thermally conductivemedium is cured and then attached to the panel. Hence, the adhesion rateis not much higher than that of the conventional heat spreading sheet.

[0011] Silicone tape is further required for a cushioning medium, anddouble-sided tape is also required in order to attach the panel to thechassis member. The process of manufacturing the plasma display deviceaccording to the above-described method, therefore, involves high costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In accordance with the present invention, a plasma display deviceis provided that can improve the adhesion rate of a thermally conductivemedium even in the case where a contact surface of the thermallyconductive medium is not substantially flat.

[0013] Furthermore, the plasma display device in accordance with thepresent invention improves thermal conduction efficiency by improvingthe adhesion rate of the thermally conductive medium without having toincrease the pressure applied against the thermally conductive medium.

[0014] Also, in the plasma display device in accordance with the presentinvention, a panel may be attached to a chassis base using gel-likeadhesive materials without employing any additional adhesive means.

[0015] The plasma display device includes a plasma display panel, achassis base disposed substantially parallel to the plasma displaypanel, and a thermally conductive medium which is disposed between theplasma display panel and the chassis base, and closely adhered to boththe plasma display panel and the chassis base. The thermally conductivemedium is formed out of gel-like adhesive materials, which may include amixture of silicone and a hardener.

[0016] In addition, the thermally conductive medium includes a pluralityof protrusions and a plurality of depressions formed on at least oneside opposing a contacting surface of the plasma display panel or thechassis base. One of the recesses is formed between each pair ofadjacent protrusions. The recesses provide paths for air to be expelledto outside the plasma display device while the thermally conductivemedium is brought into contact with the contacting surface of the plasmadisplay panel or the chassis base.

[0017] It is preferable that the protrusions are formed along thedirection of one side of the thermally conductive medium in a stripedpattern.

[0018] As described above, the plasma display device according to thepresent invention employs the gel-like adhesive materials as thethermally conductive medium, which is interposed between the plasmadisplay panel and the chassis base closely contacting these twoelements, thereby enhancing the adhesion rate of the panel, thethermally conductive medium, and the chassis base, resulting in a highefficiency of dissipating heat generated at the panel.

[0019] A process of manufacturing a plasma display device includes:providing a gel-like thermally conductive medium to a contacting surfaceof a chassis base; forming a plurality of protrusions and recesses byshaping the gel-like thermally conductive medium; bringing a plasmadisplay panel into close contact with the thermally conductive medium,and pressing the plasma display panel; and curing the gel-like thermallyconductive medium.

[0020] The step of providing the thermally conductive medium may includemixing silicone with a hardener in a predetermined ratio, and the stepof curing the gel-like thermally conductive medium may include fasteningthe plasma display panel to the chassis base with a clip and leaving theassembly of the plasma display panel and the chassis base in this statefor a predetermined time.

[0021] The step of forming a plurality of protrusions and recessesincludes moving a surface former over the gel-like thermally conductivemedium, in which the surface former has a plurality of blades.Alternatively, the step of forming a plurality of protrusions andrecesses includes impressing the gel-like thermally conductive mediumwith a mold, in which the shape of the mold corresponds to the shape ofprotrusions and recesses.

[0022] The gel-like thermally conductive medium is shaped into theprotrusions and recesses, and the panel is pressed against and adheredclosely to the thermally conductive medium before the medium is cured asin above-described processes, thereby enhancing the adhesive efficiencyby easily expelling the air existing between the panel and the thermallyconductive medium. Furthermore, the thermally conductive medium also hasadhesiveness, so that the plasma display device does not require anyadditional means for adhesion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a plasma display devicehaving a thermally conductive medium according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a chassis base of the plasmadisplay device, on which a thermally conductive medium is provided,according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing a chassis base of the plasmadisplay device, on which a thermally conductive medium is provided,according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026]FIGS. 4A through 4F are sectional views for illustrating a processof manufacturing a plasma display device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0027]FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a chassis base of the plasmadisplay device, on which a thermally conductive medium is provided,according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram representing temperature measuringpoints on a glass panel for estimating the heat dissipation efficiencyof a thermally conductive medium according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0029]FIGS. 7A and 7B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel while employing a thermally conductive medium according toan embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]FIGS. 8A and 8B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where an air gap exists between a chassis baseand a panel.

[0031]FIGS. 9A and 9B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where double-sided tape is provided between achassis base and a panel.

[0032]FIGS. 10A and 10b are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where a heat spreading sheet is provided betweena chassis base and a panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a plasma display devicehaving a thermally conductive medium according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a chassis base ofthe plasma display device, on which a thermally conductive medium isprovided, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the plasma display device includesPDP 20 composed of two glass substrates 20 a and 20 b to realize animage through plasma from discharged gas, chassis base 22 disposedfixedly on a rear side of PDP 20 opposite the screen side thereof, andthermally conductive medium 24 interposed between PDP 20 and chassisbase 22 to transfer heat generated at PDP 20 to chassis base 22 anddissipate the heat. A front case (not shown) is provided to the side ofPDP 20, and a rear case (not shown) is provided to the side of chassisbase 22, thereby completing the structure of the plasma display device.

[0035] In the above structure, PDP 20 has a rectangular shape with longsides and short sides, and chassis base 22 is formed from a materialsuch as aluminum, which has a high degree of thermally conductivity. Adriving circuit (not shown) is provided on the rear side of chassis base22, opposite the side facing the PDP, for driving the plasma displaydevice.

[0036] Thermally conductive medium 24, together with chassis base 22,act to dissipate the heat generated at PDP 20 due to the operation ofthe plasma display device to outside the plasma display device. In orderto enhance the efficiency in the adhesion of thermally conductive medium24 to chassis base 22 or PDP 20, thermally conductive medium 24 has astructure with the following features.

[0037] Thermally conductive medium 24 is formed out of a gel-likematerial, which has adhesiveness. The gel-like adhesive material usedfor thermally conductive medium 24 can be realized by mixing liquidsilicone and a hardener at a predetermined ratio, such as in a 1 to 1ratio.

[0038] Thermally conductive medium 24 can be, therefore, adhered to PDP20 or chassis base 22 at an enhanced adhesion rate while applying alight pressure, even though the contacting surface of PDP 20 or chassisbase 22 is not flat and has small protrusions on the surface.Furthermore, PDP 20 can also be adhered stably to chassis base 22without an additional means for adhesion such as double-sided tape.

[0039] When the gel-like adhesive material used for thermally conductivemedium 24 is applied to the contacting surface of chassis base 22 andPDP 20 is attached thereto, the surface of the gel-like adhesivematerial must be shaped into the protrusions and recesses as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, to improve the adhesion rate.

[0040] Thermally conductive medium 24 is shaped to include a pluralityof protrusions 24 a and a plurality of recesses 24 b, formed on the faceopposing a surface of plasma display panel 20 that thermally conductivemedium 24 contacts. One of the recesses 24 b is formed between each pairof adjacent protrusions 24 a, recesses 24 b providing paths for air tobe expelled to the outside of the plasma display panel in a state wherethermally conductive medium 24 is brought into contact with thecontacting surface of PDP 20.

[0041] It is preferable that protrusions 24 a are formed parallel tolong sides of chassis base 22 in a striped pattern, and recesses 24 bare formed in an alternating fashion with protrusions 24 a.

[0042] Accordingly, the air existing between PDP 20 and thermallyconductive medium 24 can be expelled easily through recesses 24 b suchthat the adhesion rate and the heat dissipation efficiency can beimproved by preventing an unnecessary air gap from being formed.

[0043] It is also preferable to take into consideration the curvatureand flatness of PDP 20 and chassis base 22, as well as the heatdissipation efficiency when the thickness of thermally conductive medium24 is determined.

[0044] Hereinafter, a process for manufacturing a plasma display deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0045]FIGS. 4A through 4F are sectional views for illustrating a processof manufacturing a plasma display device according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4A, gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 isapplied to a contacting surface of chassis base 22.

[0047] It is preferable that gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 isapplied uniformly to the contacting surface of chassis base 22 in apredetermined thickness. The thickness in which gel-like thermallyconductive medium 24 is applied should be determined in consideration ofthe final, desired thickness of thermally conductive medium 24. Forexample, the final desired thickness of the thermally conductive mediummay be within the range of 1 mm through 1.5 mm.

[0048] Silicone and a hardener may be mixed at a predetermined ratio,and applied to the contacting surface of chassis base 22 as thermallyconductive medium 24.

[0049] After being applied to the contacting surface of chassis base 22,gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 is shaped into a form having theprotrusions 24 a and recesses 24 b.

[0050] Surface former 26 as shown in FIG. 4A is used for shapingthermally conductive medium 24. Surface former 26 includes strip member26 a having substantially the same width as a short side of chassis base22, and a plurality of blades 26 b provided on a lower end of stripmember 26 a in the shape corresponding to a cross-section of recesses 26b.

[0051] Blades 26 b of surface former 26, as shown in FIGS. 4b and 4 c,are brought into close contact with thermally conductive medium 24, andmoved along the direction parallel with a long side of chassis base 22,resulting in the formation of recesses 24 b and protrusions 24 a.

[0052] The cross-section of blades 26 b may be arc-shaped, or may be apolygonal such as in the shape of a triangle, a quadrangle, and apentagon. Moreover, the blade shape of surface former 26 may also varywith the cross-section of recesses 26 b.

[0053] Alternatively, protrusions 26 a and recesses 26 b may be shapedby being impressed with a mold instead of surface former 26, in whichthe shape of the mold corresponds to the shape of protrusions 24 a andrecesses 24 b.

[0054] With reference to FIG. 5 showing a second embodiment of thepresent invention, protrusions 34 a of thermally conductive medium 34may be formed only on areas of chassis base 22 such that protrusions 34a are parallel with each other at regular intervals. This can beaccomplished by employing dispenser 36 that is provided with a pluralityof nozzles 36 a at a predetermined interval. When gel-like thermallyconductive medium 34 is supplied on chassis base 22 by nozzles 36 a, theprotrusions 34 a of thermally conductive medium 34 are formed only atthe portions corresponding to nozzles 36 a, while the other portionswhere gel-like thermally conductive medium 34 is not provided result inthe formation of recesses 34 b.

[0055] Referring back to FIG. 4, that is, FIGS. 4d and 4 e, PDP 20 isnext brought into close contact with thermally conductive medium 24, andcompressed.

[0056] When being brought into contact with thermally conductive medium24, PDP 20 comes into contact with protrusions 24 a first, and portionsof gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 that form protrusions 24 aspread over recesses 24 b, then fill up recesses 24 b. During the aboveprocess, the air inside recesses 24 b is expelled to the outside ofthese elements, and, as shown in FIG. 4f the entire surface of PDP 20can be brought into close contact with thermally conductive medium 24.

[0057] Gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 is cured after the aboveprocess.

[0058] In order to cure gel-like thermally conductive medium 24, PDP 20brought into contact with thermally conductive medium 24 may be left inthe state shown in FIG. 4f for a predetermined time. Furthermore, sincethermally conductive medium 24 has adhesiveness, it is possible todirectly conduct a PDP module assembling operation by standing chassisbase 22 with PDP 20 20 on its edge. Therefore, thermally conductivemedium 24 can be left to cure naturally while performing other assemblyoperations in the module assembly line.

[0059] If necessary, chassis base 22 with PDP 20 may be left in thestate shown in FIG. 4f for a predetermined time after chassis base 22and PDP 20 are secured together by a clip.

[0060] Since gel-like thermally conductive medium 24 has adhesiveness,the state of adhesion can be fully maintained without any further meansfor adhesion such as a double-sided tape. Also, thermally conductivemedium 24 also has a shock absorbing property after cured.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, ithas been described that a gel-like thermally conductive medium isapplied first to a chassis base and a PDP is brought into contact withthe gel-like thermally conductive medium. However, the present inventionis not limited in this respect, and it is possible to first apply agel-like thermally conductive medium to a PDP, then bring a chassis baseinto contact with the gel-like thermally conductive medium.

[0062] In order to improve the adhesion rate of a thermally conductivemedium according to an embodiment of the present invention, Gap Filler™produced by Bergquist was employed as gel-like thermally conductivemedium 24 and tested.

[0063] First, Gap Filler™ was applied to a chassis base and protrusionsand recesses were formed by a surface former. Then, a transparent glass(rather than an actual PDP) was brought into close contact with GapFiller™ so as to observe the areas of adhesion.

[0064] The thickness of Gap Filler™ applied as a thermally conductivemedium was about 1.3 mm including the height of the protrusions, thenwas reduced to and maintained at about 1 mm after compressing thetransparent glass.

[0065] After the gel-like thermally conductive medium was cured for aperiod of about thirty minutes after being compressed, the adhesion ratereached more than 90% and the state of adhesion was uniform even thoughthe pressure applied to the transparent glass was less than that used inthe prior art. Since the thermally conductive medium had adhesivenessand gel-like properties, it did not spill over or otherwise flow toundesired areas while being applied to the chassis base. As a result, aframe or any other such additional device was not required.

[0066] The case where an air gap existed between a chassis base and apanel (comparative example 1), the case where double-sided tape wasinterposed between a chassis base and a panel (comparative example 2),and the case where a heat-spreading sheet was interposed between achassis base and a panel (comparative example 3) were compared with anembodiment of the present invention with regard to the heat dissipationefficiency.

[0067] The conditions applied to the above test are as shown in Table 1.TABLE 1 Section Conditions Model 42″d1.1′ Display image Full WhiteVoltage 220 V Power consumption 300 W Ambient temperature 25° C.

[0068] The temperature of the panel was measured by a T-typethermocouple, and recorded by a Yokohama DR230 hybrid recorder.

[0069]FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram representing temperature measuringpoints on a glass panel for estimating the heat dissipation efficiencyof a thermal conductive medium according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0070] Temperatures were measured at twenty-five points at which fivehorizontal base lines (FH1˜FH5) intersect five vertical base lines(FV1˜FV5) on a glass panel 40. FIG. 6 indicates the locations of thepoints in detail.

[0071] The temperature distributions on the glass panel are representedin FIGS. 7A through 10B based on the measured temperatures of theembodiment of the present invention and the comparative examples. Themaximum and minimum temperatures among the measured temperatures foreach case were compared, the result of which are shown in Table 2. TABLE2 The present Comparative Comparative Comparative Section inventionexample 1 example 2 example 3 Max. 52.8 59.8 57.0 58.5 temperature(T_(max), ° C.) Min. 42.1 42.0 44.1 44.5 temperature (T_(min), ° C.)Temperature 10.7 17.8 12.9 14.0 difference (ΔT, ° C.)

[0072] The glass panel 40 was divided into three sections according tothe temperature distributions on the glass panel 40:

[0073] I. High temperature section at which the temperature reached morethan 51° C., II. Intermediate temperature section at which thetemperature ranged from 47° C. to 51° C., III. Low temperature sectionat which the temperature was less than 47° C. FIGS. 7A, 8A, 9A, and 10Ashow schematic views of the divided sections according to thetemperature distributions for each case, respectively. In the graphs ofFIGS. 7B, 8B, 9B, and 10B, the abscissas represent the distance from theleft side of the glass panel illustrated in FIG. 6 and the ordinatesrepresent temperature.

[0074]FIGS. 7A and 7B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel while employing a thermally conductive medium according toan embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 7A, when the thermally conductive mediumaccording to an embodiment of the present invention was employed, hightemperature section I occupies a small portion of the glass panel 40,while low temperature section II occupies a large portion of the glasspanel 40 at a lower part thereof.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 7B, the temperature along the line FH2 wasgenerally the highest, with the maximum temperature (T_(max)) measuring52.8° C. on FH2, while the minimum temperature (T_(min)) measured 42.1°C. on FH 5. Thus, the temperature difference (ΔT) came to 10.7° C.Accordingly, the temperature distribution was uniform on the whole,while the overall temperature of the glass panel 40 was lowered.

[0077]FIGS. 8A and 8B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where an air gap exists between a chassis baseand a panel.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 8A, high temperature section I ranges over amajority of the glass panel 40, while intermediate and low temperaturesections II and III occupy small portions at the lower part of the glasspanel 40. Therefore, almost no heat is dissipated to the outside of theassembly.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 8B, the temperature along the line FH2 wasgenerally the highest, with the maximum temperature (T_(max)) measuring59.8° C. on FH2, while the minimum temperature (T_(min)) measured 42.0°C. on FH 5. Thus, the temperature difference (ΔT) came to 17.8° C. Thatis, the temperature goes up much from the lower part to the upper part,while the temperature changes little from left to right. This explainswhy the thermally conduction property worsens when an air gap is formedbetween a panel and a chassis base.

[0080]FIGS. 9A and 9B are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where double-sided tape is provided between achassis base and a panel.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 9A, high temperature section I ranges over amajor portion of the glass panel 40, but intermediate and lowtemperature sections II and III occupy small portions at the upper andthe lower parts of the glass panel 40.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 9B, the temperature along the line FH2 wasgenerally the highest, with the maximum temperature (T_(max)) measuring57.0° C. on FH2, while the minimum temperature (T_(min)) measured 44.1°C. on FH 5. Thus, the temperature difference (ΔT) came to 12.9° C. Thatis, the heat dissipation efficiency is better than the case where an airgap is formed, but worse than the present invention.

[0083]FIGS. 10A and 10b are graphs showing temperature distribution on aglass panel in the case where a heat spreading sheet is provided betweena chassis base and a panel.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 10A, high temperature section I ranges from theright upper part to the center lower part of the glass panel 40, but lowtemperature section III occupies a small portion at the lower part ofthe glass panel 40.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 10B, the temperature along the line FH3 wasgenerally the highest, with the maximum temperature (T_(max)) measuring58.5° C. on FH3, while the minimum temperature (T_(min)) measured 44.5°C. on FH5. Thus, the temperature difference (ΔT) came to 14° C.Accordingly, the heat dissipation efficiency is not much better thancomparative example 2, and worse than the present invention.

[0086] As described above, in the plasma display device according to theembodiments of the present invention, the adhesion rate of the thermallyconductive medium can be improved without increasing the pressureapplied to elements adhered thereto, so that the formation of anunnecessary air gap between a PDP and a chassis base can be minimized,while the manufacturing defects of the PDP or the chassis base areeffectively overcome by employing a gel-like adhesive thermallyconductive material as a thermally conductive medium between the PDP andthe chassis base. Accordingly, the heat generated at the PDP can beconducted favorably through the thermally conductive medium, so that thereliability of the end product can be enhanced by the improvement of theoverall thermal conduction efficiency.

[0087] Furthermore, the thermally conductive medium has adhesivenessafter being cured, and thus the PDP and the chassis base can maintaintheir state of adhesion without the use of any additional means foradhesion.

[0088] Since an additional member such as a cooling fan is not requiredfor dissipating the heat generated at the PDP, the problems of noisethat may be generated by the cooling fan is avoided.

[0089] While the present invention has been described in detail withreference to the certain embodiments, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications and substitutions can be madethereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plasma display device comprising: a plasmadisplay panel; a chassis base disposed substantially parallel to theplasma display panel; and a thermally conductive medium being disposedbetween the plasma display panel and the chassis base and being closelyadhered to both the plasma display panel and the chassis base, whereinthe thermally conductive medium is formed out of gel-like adhesivematerials.
 2. The plasma display device of claim 1, wherein the gel-likeadhesive materials forming the thermally conductive medium include amixture of silicone and a hardener.
 3. The plasma display device ofclaim 1, wherein the thermally conductive medium includes a plurality ofprotrusions and a plurality of recesses formed on at least one side faceopposing a contacting surface of the plasma display panel or the chassisbase, one of the recesses being formed between each pair of adjacentprotrusions and the recesses providing paths for the exhaust of air tothe outside of the plasma display device when the thermally conductivemedium is brought into contact with the contacting surface of the plasmadisplay panel or the chassis base.
 4. The plasma display device of claim1, wherein the protrusions are formed parallel to a side of the chassisbase in a striped pattern.
 5. A process of manufacturing a plasmadisplay device, comprising: providing a gel-like thermally conductivemedium to a contacting surface of a chassis base; forming a plurality ofprotrusions and recesses by shaping the gel-like thermally conductivemedium; bringing a plasma display panel into close contact with thethermally conductive medium, and compressing the plasma display panel;and curing the gel-like thermally conductive medium.
 6. The process ofclaim 5, wherein the step of providing the thermally conductive mediumincludes mixing silicone with a hardener at a predetermined ratio. 7.The process of claim 5, wherein the step of forming a plurality ofprotrusions and recesses includes moving a surface former over thegel-like thermally conductive medium, in which the surface former has aplurality of blades.
 8. The process of claim 5, wherein the step offorming a plurality of protrusions and recesses includes impressing thegel-like thermally conductive medium with a mold, in which the shape ofthe mold corresponds to the shape of protrusions and recesses.
 9. Theprocess of claim 5, wherein the step of curing the gel-like thermallyconductive medium includes fastening the plasma display panel to thechassis base with a clip and leaving the assembly of the plasma displaypanel and the chassis base in this state for a predetermined time.
 10. Athermally conducting medium for dissipating heat generated by a plasmadisplay panel disposed substantially parallel to a chassis base,comprising: a gel-like adhesive material formed from a mixture ofsilicone and a hardener, the gel-like adhesive material having aplurality of protrusions and a plurality of recesses formed on at leastone side face opposing a contacting surface of the plasma display panelor the chassis base, one of the recesses being formed between each pairof adjacent protrusions and the recesses providing paths for the exhaustof air to the outside of the plasma display device when the gel-likeadhesive material is brought into contact with the contacting surface ofthe plasma display panel or the chassis base.
 11. The thermallyconducting medium of claim 10, wherein the protrusions are formedparallel to a side of the chassis base in a striped pattern.